There are myriad of products created by ingenious moms and toy companies aimed to make the lives of modern mothers easier.  Some allow a child to bounce up and down while suspended in some form of fabric seats so moms can get on with household chores.  Some keep a child in an incline position so they can see better on their tummy.  Some systems allow the mom to transport a child from car to shopping cart/stroller, back to car without ever messing around with seat buckles.  While others allow the child to stay in an upright seated position so he/she can be spoon fed solid food.

Unfortunately, we now know these tools are not always great for your child’s physical or mental development.  Jumpers and exercisers put stress on infant spine by artificially keeping the child in a position for prolonged period.  Infant car seats often worsen infant reflux, vomiting, and colic by keeping the child in a folded position.  Many new moms also miss their infants’ hunger cues because the child is restrained and not able to root for milk.  When a child’s hunger calls are ignored repeated, he/she learns to cry less because the caregivers cannot be depended on.

There really is no substitute when if comes to physical contact for the development of an infant.  A mom who wears her child knows when her baby needs to be fed; reduces her infant’s reflux and spit ups by keeping the child’s body elongate; provides constant non-verbal communication and reassurance to her child; and allows the child’s body to grow only when it is ready.  If you want to teach your infant sitting and walking, support them with your hands.  This way, your wrist fatigue will remind you to give their little spine a rest as well.